Delta partner Virgin Atlantic to get new CEO in January

A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 takes off from San Francisco for London on Oct. 23, 2016.(Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special for USA TODAY)

British airline Virgin Atlantic is picking an insider to become the next CEO after Craig Kreeger retires.

The London-based carrier said Thursday that chief commercial officer Shai Weiss will take over Jan. 1. Weiss, who had been chairman of a Virgin investment fund, was named the airline's chief financial officer in 2014.

Kreeger has been CEO since February 2013. Before that he spent 27 years at American Airlines.

Virgin Atlantic was founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, who remains president. The airline had 2017 revenue of 2.7 billion pounds ($3.6 billion US).

Delta Air Lines owns a 49 percent stake, and Air France-KLM owns 31 percent of Virgin. The carriers plan to combine their partnerships into a single trans-Atlantic joint venture that Virgin called its next mid-range corporate plan.

Virgin Atlantic named its first Dreamliner "Birthday Girl" in honor of the carrier's 30th anniversary. The carrier began flying between London and Newark in the summer of 1983. Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

This 'wander wall' at the front of Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy section gives passengers an option for an in-flight stroll. The carrier plans to stock it with newspapers, drinks and snacks. Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY